People Will Talk: The cornucopia edition

By Nancy Ford

“Women’s freedom can’t depend on Washington. It can only come from systematically building women’s power in our economy, our political system, and in every part of our society.”

—South Bend, Indiana mayor and Democratic presidential contender, Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg said, if elected, he would invest $10 billion to fight sexual harassment and discrimination against women in the workplace to fund measures to make employers accountable for protecting women workers and oversight. Via Huffington Post.com

“For folks using these products on a nearly monthly basis, it can be harmful and distressing to see binary/gendered images, coding, language and symbols. So, using less coded products can make a huge difference. Trans and nonbinary folks are constantly misgendered, and a gesture like this can broaden out the experiences and open up spaces for those who need the products.”

—Steph deNormand, manager of Fenway Health’s trans health program. Always announced it will remove the Venus symbol from its menstruation products packaging following calls by transgender advocates, who said its parent, Procter & Gamble, was alienating trans and gender-nonconforming customers by not acknowledging that they, too, can experience menstruation. Via NBCNews.com

“There are good men out there, guys, don’t give up. You don’t have to be gay, there are good people with dicks out there, you’ve just got to find them. You’ve got to find a dick that’s not a dick, you know? I always thought I had to be gay, because I thought all guys were evil, but it’s not true. There are good people out there that just happen to have dicks. I’ve only ever met one.”

—Singer/songwriter Miley Cyrus. Cyrus later clarified her statement, posting on Instagram, “Let me be clear. YOU don’t CHOOSE your sexuality. You are born as you are. It has always been my priority to protect the LGBTQ community I am a part of.” Via Twitter.com

“With a conservative and Christian stacked court, it is entirely possible that the court will rule that LGBTQ people can be discriminated against in the workplace. In an evangelical Christian-dominated country that seeks to disenfranchise queer people every single day, the role of LGBTQ-affirming Christians has never been more important.”

“In a lot of work about Judy, there tends to be this sort of pathologizing of her. It’s just the pity, the whole tragic complex, which is so well-worn by now. But to hear it firsthand … brings you closer to the story. The machine of recovery we have today wasn’t available to her. That’s the real tragedy.”

“We are huge fans of each other. I think it is just the understanding of what we have to go through and the appreciation of, you know, each other’s skills and lives is really special. It is nice to just be able to totally unwind and be completely yourself and, you know, have someone understand and appreciate how special it is, what you are doing, but also just love you for who you are and just to be that kind of support system. Honestly, it’s really nice.”

“Mr. Barr, you cannot have it both ways. Either you believe in equality for all or you don’t. We do not honor our son by kowtowing to hypocrisy. (The Attorney General) must lead and demonstrate his refusal to accept hate in all its manifestations. He must demonstrate courage, even if it means disagreeing with the administration. So far, he has done none of these deeds.”

—The parents of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered in 1998, assailing Attorney General William Barr in a statement for what they called hypocrisy on LGBTQ rights during a Justice Department ceremony commemorating the Shepard-Byrd Act. The hate-crimes law is named after Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. who was murdered in 2011 by white supremacists. Via HuffingtonPost.com

“Well, I’m going to assume it’s a guy who said that. And I’m going to say, ‘then just marry one woman.’ I’m cool with that. Assuming you can find one.”

—Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) at the October 10 presidential candidates’ LGBTQ town hall, explaining how she would respond if an “old-fashioned” supporter approached her on the campaign trail and said: “My faith teaches me that marriage is between one man and one woman.”